As the children play on the roundabout, borehole water, which has been tested at a recognized laboratory as being fit for human consumption, is pumped into and stored in a 2,500 litre tank, allowing access to the water when needed.
Since 2008 Roundabout Water Solutions has installed over 640 PlayPumps in South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland. The first ever PlayPump was installed in 1998 and now there are over 1 700 PlayPumps in sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in clean drinking water and sanitation for people who previously had no reliable or safe sources of water.
In South Africa alone hundreds of schools have no clean drinking water available at their school. Girls are taken out of school to collect water. A PlayPump at a school allows girls more time to attend school, and can increase overall attendance at schools as a consequence of the availability of water and the fun of playing on it. In addition water borne health problems, such as diarrhoea, can be significantly reduced.
Rural communities, who have no municipal water, are also forced to collect their water from streams, dams and unreliable water sources. Women and girls have to walk anything up to 5 kms a day to collect water for their household, with no guarantee that the water collected is fit for human consumption.
Roundabout Water Solutions conducts bacteriological and chemical testing is done on each borehole to ensure that the water is fit for human consumption. A step down test is also conducted to ensure that the borehole can sustain prolonged abstraction of the water and the flow is sufficient to meet the needs of the community. Each and every borehole is referred to a qualified geo-hydroloogist for analysis of the water results and a recommendation of the most suitable pump settings to ensure a sustainable flow of water and ease of use by the community.
The PlayPump is maintained free of charge for a period of ten years. Maintenance is performed by trained, locally sourced maintenance crews. The spare parts are provided free of charge to the community. All sites are inspected on a rotation basis and each and every site has a free pump repair SMS number whereby they can report a problem to our office.
Operates in: All of South Africa
Established in: April 2008
Non-Profit Organisation Number: 071-197
Public Benefit Organisation Number: 930027988
Section 21 Company Number: 2008/009247/08
Trust Number:
Contact person: Sandra Hayes
Phone: 011 543 7928
Fax: 011 781 5150
Email:
Website: www.playpumps.co.za
Physical address: 6 Susman Avenue, Blairgowrie
Postal address: P O Box 3120, Pinegowrie
